Polls & Research

Cristina Kirchner Drops to 34% in Argentina

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Public support for Argentina's presidential frontrunner has dwindled this month, according to a poll by Poliarquía Consultores. 34 per cent of respondents would vote for first lady and Buenos Aires senator Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in this year's ballot, down seven points since June.

Former economy minister Roberto Lavagna of An Advanced Nation (UNA) is a distant second with 12 per cent, followed by Elisa Carrió of the Alliance Affirmation for an Egalitarian Republic (ARI) with nine per cent, Ricardo López Murphy of Recreate (Recrear) with seven per cent, and former president Carlos Menem with three per cent.

Néstor Kirchner finished second to Menem in the election held in April 2003. Menem withdrew from the scheduled run-off after voting intention polls suggested an overwhelming victory for Kirchner, candidate of the Front for Victory (FV).

Argentina has held five presidential elections since the demise of an eight-year military dictatorship in 1982. In the event no candidate garners more than 45 per cent of the vote—or reaches a percentage between 40 and 45 per cent with a 10 per cent lead over the closest competitor—a run-off between the two leading candidates must take place.

Last month, Fernández de Kirchner announced she would run to succeed her husband later this year. The current head of state was eligible for re-election, but decided to back his wife's bid instead.

On Jul. 23, Lavagna criticized the economic policies implemented by Kirchner after he left the cabinet, and accused him of sparking high inflation, which he called "a machine to create poor people and destroy the Argentine middle class."

The presidential election is scheduled for Oct. 28.

Polling Data

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